ABSTRACT

As populations age globally, understanding dietary practices and their impact on anthropometric status in elderly individuals becomes increasingly crucial. Proper nutrition and maintenance of healthy body metrics are vital for enhancing quality of life and preventing age-related health issues. The study assessed the dietary practices, physical activity level and anthropometric status of the elderly in Bende LGA, Abia State. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional research design to help understand how dietary pattern, physical activity level and anthropometric status can affect each other and the relationship existing between them. Multistage sampling was used to select respondents who gave consent to participate in the study. A validated structured questionnaire was used to collect information on the respondents' socio-economic characteristics, dietary habits and nutritional risks. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis. Pearson correlation was used to determine the relationship between Dietary pattern, BMI and physical activity level of the respondents. A p-value of ~ 0.05 was considered significant. The results revealed that most of the respondents fell within the age of 65-74 years (65.6%). There was an almost even distribution of both sexes (50.4% female and 49.6% males). Some of the participants (33.5%) lived with their spouses while others lived with relatives or their children (26.3%) and (23. l %) respectively. About (33.5%) of the participants live with a spouse, with one third (36.6%) of participation earn N30, 000 or less. Furthermore. most (48.2%) participant residing in brick housing with majority (78.6%) using primarily water closets and 46% rely on gas. The results also reveals that majority (76.8%) of respondents eat three times daily and 48.7% eat street food sometimes. This results reveals a small percentage (9.3%) report food allergies or intolerances, with the majority having no restrictions. About (40.6%) of individuals have a dietary diversity score within the middle range (4 to 5 food groups) indicating the respondents have a moderately diverse diet, while a smaller proportion (30.4%) have low (

<3 food groups). In physical activity pattern of the elderly respondents, majority (59.4%) of respondents were uncertain or unsure of their engagement frequency in vigorous physical activities with only a small proportion (2.2%) reported high-frequency engagement (5-6 days per week). Television watching dominated sedentary activities (72.8%), with spending 10-20 minutes watching TV daily. About one third (37.5%), falls within the normal weight category, followed by equal proportions (24.1%) of participants in both the underweight and pre-obesity categories. Lower percentages were observed in the obesity stages, with 14.3% in obesity. There was a weak, positive relationship, between sweetened beverage consumption and waist hip ratio while there was a weak, positive relationship, between days engaged in vigorous physical activities and Waist-to-hip ratio. However, there was a weak, negative relationship, between days engaged in walking for at least l 0 minutes and BMI. Nutrition education should include information on the health impacts of high sugar intake. with tips on substituting sweetened beverages with water, herbal teas, or natural fruit juices in moderation. >